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FILE - In this Thursday, May 10, 2018 file photo Michael Avenatti, is interviewed in New York. Avenatti, who has gained national attention as the lawyer for porn actress Stormy Daniels, is scheduled on Aug. 10 to speak at an Iowa Democratic fundraiser that has been a frequent stop for those seeking the presidential nomination. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Avenatti: 3 women paid 'hush money' for Trump relationships

July 27, 2018 - 7:50 am

The Associated Press

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Michael Avenatti, the attorney for porn actress Stormy Daniels, said Thursday that he now represents three additional women who he says had relationships with President Donald Trump and were paid "hush money" before the 2016 presidential election.

Avenatti disclosed the information at a community forum in West Hollywood, California, but he would not provide additional information.

Asked if he had evidence that the women had relationships with Trump, Avenatti said: "Yes."

He said he was "not at liberty to share" the evidence because he didn't have permission from his clients to disclose specifics. But Avenatti said the women, who contacted him months ago, were "paid hush money prior to the 2016 election."

He called on Trump and his former longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to come forward and disclose information about the women and their supposed relationships with Trump.

"They should release the information to the American people now," Avenatti said. "Enough with the games."

Trump's attorney, Charles Harder, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment late Thursday.

Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, declined to comment Friday but cautioned against believing everything that a lawyer says in the heat of a legal battle.

"Mr. Avenatti is an aggressive attorney doing his job in the middle of litigation," Davis said. "I have been there, done that. An attorney in litigation is just that, and until the litigation is over, I'm not going to comment on the words used."

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she had sex with Trump in 2006, when he was married, but Trump has denied it. Days before the 2016 presidential election, she was paid $130,000 to stay silent in a deal handled by Cohen. She is suing to invalidate the nondisclosure agreement.